Catalunya attracts €12bn packaging investment
- ACCIÓ and the Packaging Cluster said on April 1 that Catalonia’s packaging industry reached €12.227 billion in turnover, spanning 855 companies and 36,512 jobs. - The report said Catalonia ranked second among European Union regions for foreign packaging investment projects from 2020 to 2025, behind North Rhine-Westphalia. - Exports rose nearly 30% in five years, with France and Portugal leading destinations. (accio.gencat.cat)
Catalonia’s packaging industry generated €12.227 billion in turnover and employed 36,512 people, according to an April 1 report by ACCIÓ and the Packaging Cluster. (accio.gencat.cat) The study counted 855 companies across the packaging value chain, from design and machinery to raw materials, filling services and recycling. More than 70% of those companies are manufacturers of packaging and containers. (catalonia.com) (accio.gencat.cat) ACCIÓ said Catalonia ranked second among European Union regions by number of foreign investment projects captured in packaging between 2020 and 2025. Only Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia ranked higher. (accio.gencat.cat) That ranking is about project count, not €12 billion of foreign direct investment. The €12.227 billion figure is the sector’s annual business volume in Catalonia, while the European Union as a whole logged €2.31 billion of packaging foreign direct investment from 2020 to 2025. (accio.gencat.cat 1) (accio.gencat.cat 2) The report also said 65% of Catalan packaging companies are regular exporters. France, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom are the main destinations, and exports have grown by nearly 30% over the past five years. (catalonia.com) (accio.gencat.cat) Barcelona province dominates the cluster. ACCIÓ said 80% of the sector’s firms are located there, with concentrations in Barcelona, Terrassa, Barberà del Vallès and Rubí. (catalonia.com) The sector is also mature. ACCIÓ said 83% of companies were founded more than 10 years ago, and those older firms account for 97% of employment and 98% of turnover. (accio.gencat.cat) The backdrop is a broader foreign-investment push in Catalonia. ACCIÓ said it helped attract 106 projects worth €1.051 billion in 2024, the first time its supported investment topped €1 billion in a year. (catalonia.com) Taken together, the new packaging report shows a large domestic industry, a concentrated manufacturing base around Barcelona, and a strong position in Europe’s competition for new packaging projects. (catalonia.com) (accio.gencat.cat)
